Think of the anaerobic threshold as a line. On one side of the line is our aerobic system, where we primarily use oxygen for energy. Long runs, combat sports, and anything that lasts longer than two minutes mainly requires aerobic work.

​On the other side of the line, we have our anaerobic system, where we primarily supply energy without oxygen. Anaerobic work is mainly high-intensity and fatiguing work that can go on for six to 90 seconds. Using the threshold method allows us to train around the anaerobic threshold zone. As we keep training, we’ll then be able to increase our anaerobic threshold.

It's important for all combat athletes because we spend a lot of time around the anaerobic threshold zone. Whether you're a striker, grappler, or MMA athlete, your heart rate is going to be elevated to a pretty high level when you compete. You'll also need a lot of oxygen for this activity in your competition or training. The key to this is increasing the anaerobic threshold.

​If you can increase your anaerobic threshold, then you can primarily use oxygen as an energy source for longer. Then you’ll be able to push the pace for longer and at higher intensities without fatiguing. So, your cardio is going to be relentless. When your opponent is huffing for air, you’ll be feeling fresh and able to dominate for much longer.

Threshold training is designed to be intense. This means you'll have to push the pace and sustain it all around your anaerobic threshold. With our athletes on the CounterStrike system, we determine their anaerobic threshold by doing a 12-minute run test.

​The 12-minute run test

Run or hit an Airdyne bike as hard as you can for three minutes.

You can also do MMA-specific drills like wrestling or striking. It’s important that you go to 100% intensity for the 12 minutes or it's not going to work. Typically, the average heart rate of an athlete is a good estimate of their anaerobic threshold. If the average heart rate of our athlete after the run test is around 170 beats per minute (BPM), that's the zone we are going to use for our threshold training.

When we are performing threshold training, I like to be within five beats of that anaerobic threshold. So, if your average heart rate on that 12-minute test is 170 BPM, you must maintain an average heart rate of 165 to 175 BPM. By maintaining that zone, you can then improve the anaerobic threshold. So, you must pick a cardio activity that will enable you to get your heart rate to that anaerobic threshold area and sustain it.

Go for activities that will get your heart rate high but remain sustainable for 90 seconds to five minutes. An Airdyne bike is one of my favorite tools for high-intensity cardio because an athlete can push the pace. Plus, it simulates and carries over extremely well to what it feels like to push the pace in the ring.

Get your heart rate up in the range of 160 to 170 BPM, and THEN start the three-minute clock. You don’t start the clock at the beginning of the cardio activity. Push the pace as hard as you can for the three minutes while maintaining that 160 to 170 BPM range.

Rest until your heart rate is lower.

Once the three minutes are over, rest until your heart rate comes down to 120 BPM. This could take one minute, five minutes, or even longer. Don’t worry about how long it takes you. We are using this as a time to practice heart rate control.

Here, you're using your breath and your diaphragm to bring down your heart rate. If you can efficiently bring your heart rate down on demand, you can have a very high heart rate recovery. This means you’ll be able to recover in between bouts of high-intensity work in a fight. You’ll also be able to sustain the pace for longer with that relentless cardio, which will allow you to dominate.

​So, you're doing three rounds of work during this threshold training session:

After you finish the third round, you can record your heart rate recovery. Your heart rate recovery is the difference between your heart rate at the end of the final round of work (round three) and one minute after that final round.

​Let’s say you finish round three and your heart rate is at 160 BPM. You rest for one minute and then your heart rate afterwards is 130 BPM. You take the difference between the 160 and 130 BPM, meaning your one-minute heart rate recovery at the end of the workout is 30 BPM

I typically program threshold training from one to three sessions a week. A lot of our athletes do it in the off-camp if their conditioning is an issue. Others do it in the early fight camp to give them an edge.

Threshold training is one of the biggest needle movers in our athletes’ cardiovascular development because it accurately simulates high-intensity fights. We use the heart rate data to show our athletes that what they're doing is working, and it also builds a lot of confidence.

​If an athlete can withstand the grueling threshold training sessions, then nothing surprises them when they step into the ring because they’ve experienced it before. So, they have the confidence and skill to control their heart rate round after round in the ring. If you implement this into your training, it's also going to give you the ability to dominate on the mats or in the cage.